Science standards

As co-chairman of the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee, I had a front-row seat at our last meeting when the Next Generation Science Standards were brought up for review. Our committee is tasked with looking at the regulations Executive Branch agencies develop to implement the laws the legislature passes in order to ensure the regulations fulfill legislative intent. In a 5-1 bipartisan vote, the regulations codifying these science standards were not accepted because they were not rigorous enough and leaned toward trendy sidebars.

Last session, the General Assembly allowed school districts to raise the dropout age to 18 and now we want to shortchange kids? How can you teach future electricians without mentioning Ohm's Law? Or defining voltage? If you want to be a biologist or doctor, can you function without knowing what "osmosis" means, without knowing human anatomy? Good luck being an astronaut if no one teaches you the order of planets. There is also a disconnect between the elementary and secondary curriculums. But who needs continuity when you can navel-gaze about how you are the sole cause of global warming?

This is why the committee declared these regulations deficient because they were not as academically rigorous as existing standards. In doing so, we hoped that the Department of Education would revise the regulations. Additionally, that would give legislators more time to evaluate the regulations to ensure they provide a sound basic science education for our children. Since the Governor chose to ignore the wishes of a bipartisan committee, these new standards will go into effect against the wishes of citizens across the state.

ERNIE HARRIS

State senator, 26th District -

Crestwood, Ky. 40014 -

Murphy on legislators

Marc Murphy is a blessing. All the arguments, the discussions and the letters to the Readers' Forum against the new science standards, and their rejection both by the special committee and several Kentucky legislators, are perfectly summarized by Marc Murphy's Sunday. Sept. 15 cartoon.

AVITAL SCHURR

LaGrange, Ky. 40031 -

Offensive editorial

You should be ashamed. On the heels of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech anniversary date, the recent editorial calling for more women to run for legislature is offensive at best and downright bigoted at worst. We have statewide allegations of sexual misconduct. In addition, with recent convictions for misappropriation of funds and inexcusable mismanagement at the U.S. State Department, what we want or need is not relative to gender.

It is about character. Our local, state, and federal government is sorely lacking leadership, integrity, and vision. This is the direct result too many like you who judge and vote based on gender, skin color, and religion instead of character. The dream is turning into a nightmare.

MIKE KLEIER

Louisville 40245 -

Common Core standards

"Common Core Embraced by Kentucky Teachers" is an example of one of the oldest traps in logic, the old hasty generalization. By citing several teachers and an education official, one is led to believe that ALL Kentucky teachers have "embraced" Common Core.

As a 30-year, veteran educator, I can tell you it just isn't true.

Kentucky teachers are forced to teach these new standards and soon their evaluations will be partly based on tests related to standards that were never tested. Some conservatives oppose them, but many on the left do as well. Those on the left believe they are corporate-driven, especially by the Gates Foundation, designed to make public schools look bad and open the door to charter schools. Don't believe everything you read.